1.Who are you? Where are you coming from?
My name is Marika Rahtu and I come from Oulu, Finland.

2.How did you get started?I've been doing some sort of crafting my whole life. I used to do sewing, knitting and cross-titching before I got to know paper crafting. In the summer of 2014 I enrolled myself into one of the online card classes and started my blog. I never thought I'll continue blogging after the class,but I found this wonderful and supporting community of online crafters, so I was hooked right away.

3.Have you ever had second thoughts and wanted to give up? If so, what makes you continue?Well, if I'm being honest, yes of course. What ever you do, you'll have some down moments in some point and that's just life. But when ever you have difficult time in any matter really, it is also followed by a much more fun and happier times so that keeps me going. I enjoy crafting and colouring very much but there are some times that I can't get the image coloured in a way I hoped, that's not fun of course. But then I just take a break and try again.. it is just colouring and you can always do it again if it doesn't please you.

4.Name five must-have tools.

Paper trimmer

craft matt

good lights

radio or some sort of thing that plays good music

This is not a tool but one must have is a nanny - otherwise there are two extra sets of hands on my crafting table..

5.Name your favorite supplies companies.
Altenew, Purple Onion Designs, Wplus9, Faber-Castell and Copic6.Have you ever bought craft supplies,just because the other crafters did?Yes and no. I don't just buy stuff for example "this is their newest release, I must have this" but of course I'm influenced by other crafter's projects. If someone has made a stunning project on some stamp set for instance, it surely influences on me to buy that set too.

7.Name something you are afraid of, but you would like to try.Craftingwise... hmm... I really would love to try to draw or paint a bigger canvas than just a card size. Maybe some day.. 8.Is there anything in particular we should know about you?
My hubby calls me Little My from Moomin. According to him I have "Little My" - type of moments... and I have NO idea what he's talking about.. 9.Is there a crafter you would like to recommend?There are so many crafters that I would happily recommend so it is hard to name just one. So, I will recommend an artist who has helped me a lot to improve my colouring and she is Lisa Lachri from Lachri Fine Art. She is amazing and if you look at her speed colouring videos, you'll learn a lot.

10.Your favorite snacks,movie and song.
Snack: I don't really eat snacks but I'm in total loss if I don't get salmiac regularly...I know... We Finns have a totally weird taste...
Movie: I can't name only one movie, but I loved Downton Abbey series...
Song: Johanna Kurkela - Rakkauslaulu (love her music)

Now let's see the REinspired result...

( before********** after)

She made a video tutorial for the new card. You must check it out!Actually, you must watch her videos! They are really good!

I used the same lay-out and the same stamp company but I changed the flower to an newer one that I had not used before. On the first one I used watercolours and bold colours, I wanted to see how this would look in softer colours and more detailed flowers. I used copics combined to coloured pencils on the remake one.

I simply LOVE the results on both cards ( before and after). WOW! She did an amazing job with the peony stamps. This peony stamp is now on my wishlist. Just gorgeous!

Thank you so much Marika for sharing your talent and creations with us. If you want to see more stunning work, please visit Marika's blog.

GIVEAWAY
Win a SURPRISE card made by Marika ! I know, I would love to have a card made by Marika! To enter this contest, please let me know in the comments down below '' What's your favorite memory with your mom?''

Wow! I adore Marika's work and I am lucky enough to have received a Christmas card from her last year. She is a wonderful person and amazingly talented too. I love this whole feature - what a great idea to CASE your own work. She's done a stunning job. Xx

I dream of being able to colour as beautifully and naturally as Marika does. I always recognise her cards before I see her name, her style is so 'her'. Adore the remake as I adore the original.A special moment with my mum is laying in bed when I am visiting and having her come in for a cuddle. Mum has Alzehimers and now I am more the mum but we have some wonderful little chats in the wee hours of the morning. Special moments that I now treasure.

Wow Makika does beautiful work. My favorite memory with my Mom is sitting on the swing outside in my Sister's backyard and for a few minutes it was like I had my old Mom back. My Mom had Dementia so it was wonderful to spend those moments together.

I follow Marika's blog and I am happy t has lead me here to your blog; which I will now follow.

My favorite memory with my Mom is when we went to England with my sister to revisit where we lived when my sister was born there. We had a blast and so many crazy fun things to remember about that trip.

Marika is a true inspiration.. I so admire her and am trying to emulate her superb art..she always creates breathtaking cards...And videos I watch over and over also she is so very sweet and kindhearted.. I have a card from her framed in my craft room which I get to admire every time I go into create... Thank you for inviting her to do this I mean Wow look at what she does... superb:)

My favorite with my mom? There r so many...I guess one of my favorites is when just her and I took the fishing boat out and fished without the men.. I was only fifteen on a commercial fish boat.. I think it taught me that I could do just about anything if I would just try.... I sure do miss her:) thank you for bringing this memory to me today!

The day I discovered Marika's blog was such a joy, I sat there in amazement, mesmerized by her stunning, remarkable talent. I'm always delighted watching her work and I've learned so much from her, she is a sweet and wonderful and generous artist, who shares her incredible talent with the world every day.Thank you Marika for all the inspiration I get from you.I would love, LOVE to have a card made by you so here is one of my favorite memories of my mom.Going camping with her on a mother/daughter camping events from the Girls Scouts when I was about 8 years old, we did that for 3 years in a row, that was some of the best fun I had as a kid.Thank you for this wonderful opportunity to win one of Marika's works of art.Big Hugs,Maria Rodriguez.

Love Marika's cards, and love how she remade this one. One of my favorite memories with my mom is from Christmas, a very long time ago. Mother has always wrapped Christmas presents in whatever she has on hand, to keep the person guessing. One year she bought me a t-shirt. (I won't say who was on the t-shirt, because I doubt most readers would know him, and those that do will easily guess my age.. haha) However, she had shoved it inside a paper towel roll, then managed to wrap that, and I was completely confused as to what she could have bought me. I was also very thrilled when I finally got to open it. ^_^ Love my mom! 💗💗💗 Thank you for such a fun giveaway. I couldn't think of a better prize.

I have been following Marika for a while now and I have to admit when EVER I see she has a post I go right to it! Her work is more than "crafting", she is truly an artist!Its hard for me to choose just one memory with my Mom. She had 8 children and there were a LOT of memories. I guess my fav. would be all of the evenings we spent playing double Solitaire. We would laugh the whole time!

LOve Marika, and love that she has shared this wonderful blog with me! Fabulous idea of a remake, Maria! Oh, my Mom, now that is hard. She's no longer with me, but even after 20 years I still reach for the phone to share some news, have a chat, ask for cooking instructions, or just to hear her wonderful voice, and joyful laugh! I am her last, and ninth child. Once in a store, a lady remarked about my green eyes. She asked me 'where did you get those lovely green eyes?!' I replied, with the innocence of a four year old: 'my mom says I got them from the milkman.' Out of the mouths of babes - my mom could not help but laugh at the look of shock on this total strangers face!!! Maria, you've made me smile - again! Thank you xx=]

Oh gosh I forgot to write my favorite moment, I was ogling over Marika's card, lol. My favorite moment was my mom walking me down the aisle and having a mother/daughter dance at my wedding. We argued, she wanted an uncle to walk with me. I was raised by a single mom, she had to be mom and dad and I didn't think anyone but her deserved that honor. She was the first person to kiss me when she raised my veil and the first person to kiss me as i walked back down the aisle as a married woman. She passed away about two years now and I'm so thankful I have so many wonderful memories of her, she was my biggest cheerleader and best friend.

Marika is so very talented...I love her work! My mom is amazing! Some of my Favorite memories of her are from our stamping retreats with our local club. Mom will be 89 this week and continues to be an active member of the club, participates in many of the swaps and is looking forward to our next retreat in April.

Maria, You have a lovely blog and I am looking forward to future visits. I also like the concept of remaking one's own card design. My cards are always improved the second time around. I have been following Marika for some time now and have learned so much from her beautiful work. It would be my pleasure to have one of her cards to frame and hang in my stamping studio.

Beautiful Card Love Marika's work , Every moment with your mom is special you don't realize that until she is gone. Lost my mother last year she was 84 and lived with me for 25 years after my dad passed I was blessed to be able to have her with me but makes loosing her that much harder.

Thank you for this amazing chance! I lost my mum 8 years ago. She miss me a lot everyday and I often think of her. My favourite memory with her is when we baked Christmas biscuits and cakes in the evening watching TV. <3

Hi Marika, it is July so I missed out..I cannot tell you Beautifully Stunning your work is and I am SO HAPPY that you have a you-tube site and a Blog..I am a almost, 60 yr old Mom & Grandmother. I have 2 beautiful grown children and 2 step grandsons, but there is nothing "Step" about them for me..They are my "grandsons". My children ( I think all children) are a gift from God..I know mine are. I always tell young moms to ENJOY every moment, from the tantrums from babies through teenagers, though that can get hard. Time goes so fast and then they go to have families of their own..I became disabled 18 yrs ago and if it weren't for other crafter's, card makers, I don't know what I would have done.Making cards and creating is my Peace. I cannot thank you enough, Marika..Your a very Talented young woman..blessings, Victoria ps~I miss my mother and I talking and laughing so hard about something...My father passed when he had just turned 48, I miss everything about him. I miss them, terribly.